LITTLE ROCK - Class 6A principals voted 14-2 recently on a special ballot sent out earlier this month to adopt a new power ranking system for all sports effective immediately.

Searcy High School principal and president of the Class 6A principals' organization Claude Smith notified the Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) of the vote count Thursday.

"I know that I voted on it earlier this week, and I think it's a big improvement over what we had last year," Russellville High School Principal Wesley White said. "What it does do is give us more points for playing larger schools. Last year we only got one point for playing a 7A school, this year we'll get two. That can make some difference."

The new system will unify all AAA sports in seeding teams entering postseason play. In the 6A, all 16 schools will participate in the playoffs regardless of the sport, unlike in 2010-11 when football only allowed 12 teams to play.

"I think of course, sending all the schools to the playoffs is a good thing," White said. "Last year, football only sent six (teams per conference), while basketball sent them all. I think it all should be the same. It should all be six, or everybody goes."

The new system only has one other major difference from the one used last season.

While all teams get 10 points per victory and one point per victory by a team you beat, the same as last year, this year 6A teams will get two points for each conference win over a 7A school. This amendment will help Russellville and Van Buren, specifically.

White said Thursday he feels the new system is exactly what the Cyclones need to be competitive in the 6A. After consecutive trips to the Class 7A semifinals, Russellville struggled to a 1-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and only the second time since 2000. But this year, even if they go winless, they will have a shot at the playoffs.

A list of the sports and their power rankings:

Football, volleyball,

basketball, baseball

and softball

Power ranking - Take all teams to playoffs

Each team will receive 10 points per win for conference games only. Each team will receive one point for each conference win of opponents that it beats. A team must win the game before it count opponents points. Bonus: A 6A school that plays a 7A school conference only will receive two points for playing a higher classification, win or lose.

Soccer

Power ranking - Take all teams to playoffs

Van Buren and Russellville receive 10 points per conference win.

6A/7A Central plays a double round-robin schedule.

The other 6A east schools will receive 10 points per conference win, with one exception. The eastern schools do not all play a double round-robin. If a team plays another school only once, the points need to double (20) for those wins.

Each team will receive one point for each conference win of opponents it beats. A team must win the game before it counts the points. Bonus: 6A schools receive two bonus points for each 7A opponent it plays, conference only. East schools will have to double those points if 6A Central schools count both double round-robin games. Example: Marion only plays L.R. Hall one game; it gets four points for the 7A school played.

Tie breakers

When two teams have an identical power ranking, the following criteria shall be used for seeding purposes:

1. If the two schools have played each other during the season, the winning school shall be the higher seed.

2. If the two schools played each other twice during the season and they split, they would go head to head. This means the team that defeated the other by the most points (up to 10) would get the higher seed.

3. If teams are still tied, go to the conference tie breaker system. Each school would add up their margin of victory-up to 10 points per win - All conference games 6A and 7A.

4. If the teams are still tied, the team(s) with the best won-loss percentage record(s) against all teams including conference and non-conference games, in the school's own classification shall get the higher seed.

5. If still tied, go to conference record.

6. If still tied, go to overall record.

7. If still tied, flip a coin. (AAA Director)

When three or more teams have an identical power ranking, the following criteria will be used for seeding purposes:

1. Each school would add up the margin of victory-up to 10 points per win-conference games only, including 6A and 7A.

2. The team with the best won-loss percentage record(s) against all teams, including conference and non-conference games, in the schools same classification shall be the higher seed; the team with the next highest percentage would be next, and the team with the lowest percentage would be last in this scenario.

3. If one of the three teams has beaten one of the teams twice, the team that was defeated twice would be the third in the ranking of the group and the other two would then go back to the top of the two-way tie-breaker system.